By Cory Kamerschak, special to USTA.com
Both championship matches came down to the wire at the USTA League Mixed 40 & Over 6.0/8.0 National Championships, but the end result was Southern success as both teams from that section left Surprise as national champions.
First up was the Southern section 6.0 team from Knoxville, Tenn., which narrowly prevailed in the final over the Southern California section team from Arcadia, 2-1. The Knoxville squad had a much easier team earlier in the day with its semifinal win over the Northern California section team from Concord, 3-0.
The Midwest section team from Toledo, Ohio, grabbed third place by sweeping the team from Concord, 3-0.
In Mixed 8.0 action, the Southern section team from Daniel Island, S.C., won another competitive championship match over the Florida section team from Tampa, 2-1. Earlier in the day, Daniel Island advanced to the final with a tight win over the Texas section team from Fort Worth, 2-1.
However, the Texas players managed to leave with third place by defeating the Hawaii-Pacific section team from Oahu, 2-1.